Free A Lotus For Miss Quon by James Hadley Chase Page B

oozed out of him like air out of a pricked balloon. "Wrecked?"

    "That is so," the Inspector said, his flat black eyes never leaving Wade's face.

    That damned Jaffe! Wade thought. Wrecking my car! I must have a hole in my head to have lent it to him!

    "You've got it all wrong," he said angrily. "The car wasn't stolen. I lent it to a friend of mine. Where is the car? I'll collect it sometime today." Then a sudden thought struck him and he stiffened. "Was anyone hurt?"

    "There was no one in the car," the Inspector said. "It was abandoned."

    Well, for the love of mike! Wade thought, lashing himself into another rage. The sonofabitch wrecks my car and then calmly walks off. He hadn't even the decency to telephone me!

    "I can't do anything about it now," he said. "Not at this hour. You don't expect that, do you?"

    "Who was the person you lent the car to, Mr. Wade?" Wade scowled at him.

    "That's none of your damned business. I lend my car to whoever I want."

    "There has been a bad accident and it hasn't been reported. That is a serious offence, Mr. Wade."

    That was a fact, Wade thought. All members of the diplomatic corps had been repeatedly warned that any infringement of the traffic regulations unless reported could be a serious offence. He thought viciously: serves the punk right! Smashes my car and then walks off! They'll chew his damn cars off!"

    I lent it to Steve Jaffe," and he gave Jaffe's address.

    "Thank you, Mr. Wade," the Inspector said and wrote the address in his notebook. "I regret having to trouble you. I may have to trouble you again later. May I call at the Embassy?"

    "Oh, sure," Wade growled, "but not before half past ten, and don't try to drag me into this! I just lent my car. If Jaffe was mug enough to have had an accident, you can't blame the..."

    "May I ask why you lent him your car, Mr. Wade?"

    "Because his own car had broken down and he had to go to the airport."

    The black eyes staring so intently, flickered slightly.

    "The airport? Are you sure about that, Mr. Wade?"

    "That's what he told me."

    "The accident took place on the Bien Hoa road. As you know it is the wrong direction for the airport."

    Wade moved impatiently.

    "I'm telling you what he told me!" Was he with someone?"

    Wade was quite sure it was no business of the Saigon police whether Jaffe had a girl with him or not. He was damned if he was going to give them any information not relating to the accident.

    "He might have had a car full of Chinese coolies for all I know."
    Again the little black eyes flickered.

    "Did he in fact have Chinese coolies with him, Mr. Wade?"

    "I don't know who he had with him and I don't give a damn!"

    "Then he did have someone with him?"

    "I tell you I don't know! I've had enough of this! I want to go back to bed!"

    The Inspector bowed. "I understand. I'm sorry to have disturbed you. I will see you later in the day. Thank you for your assistance," and turning he left the room.

    When Wade heard the front door close, he drew in a long breath of relief. He turned to the bedroom to find Ann Fai Wah standing in the doorway, glaring at him.

    "You bring the police to my home!" she said viciously. "Never will you come here again! Get out!"

    "Who would want to come here again?" Wade snarled."

    "Who are you kidding, you yellow fake?"

    She began to scream abuse at him, half in Chinese, half in French, but Wade was too tired and angry to care. He pushed past her into the bedroom, collected his coat, and with her still screaming at him, he stamped out of the apartment.

    When he reached the street, he realized he had to walk home. When he finally reached home, he discovered Ann Fai Wah had stolen all his money from his wallet.

    It certainly had been one hell of a night.

    2

    A police car pulled up outside Jaffe's villa and Inspector Ngoc-Linh got out. He signed to the uniformed driver to remain where he was and then walked up the drive to the front door.

    He didn't expect to find Jaffe there. He